A One-Woman Assembly Line

Yes, the title is a contradiction in terms, I realize. I felt like my own assembly line in the kitchen tonight, though. I keep saying how busy I am and that's certainly not changing; I had a remote at Sprint til 6 then I ran to buy some spices and non-food items. By the time I got home it was 7 and I had a lot to do.

I feel like I've been disconnected for the past couple days. I've been eating Market food but not able to cook creatively and abundantly like I did for the first two weeks. It's just been impossible and I'm very tired. Tonight, though, I got back on my game and feel really good. I confess that I sampled the tacos brought to the Sprint store by the kind folks at Taco Loco, a new restaurant across from Menards. The Sprint manager thrust them on me and yes, I was super hungry. (They were amazing, by the way - when I saw fresh cilantro on top I knew they had it going on.) I don't do very well saying no to yummy stuff, although I'm proud that in the past week I have refused pecan pie, a double cheeseburger, a bouquet made from strawberries dipped in yogurt, and everything at the Pick Your Purse Preview Party.

Anyway, by eating just a little I was able to refocus my attention on the projects waiting for me at home. I was going to make oven-fried chicken (using bread crumbs to fake the breading) which would've been somewhat time-consuming, but instead I baked 4 loaves of zucchini bread, cut up a delicious seedless melon, and made a fresh batch of pesto. Using pine nuts made all the difference this time. It was fantastic. Messy...but fantastic. I also washed a mound of dishes that sort of resembled the illustration from one of Shel Silverstein's poems in Where The Sidewalk Ends. (Sarah Cynthia Silvia Stout Would Not Take The Garbage Out ).
But you know, it was wonderful to get back into the kitchen and cook and clean - while it can be overwhelming at time, there's a certain element of relaxation to it after a long, loud day.

The greatest pressure with eating locally (and buying as much as I have been every week) is the rush to consume everything before it spoils. I searched everywhere for Debbie Meyer's Green Bags at the store but ccouldn't find them. Apparently they keep produce fresh for years, maybe. Actually, I guess it's a month. Of course a family wouldn't take as long as I do to work their way through the fresh market food.

Tomorrow - the roast with potatoes, onion, and carrots (non-market). Maybe some fresh dill bread and butter. MMMMM!! I'll have a huge salad for lunch, with mixed greens, peppers, cucumber, and tomato (if there's any left in my garden). I tell you what, the food never ceases to be delicious.

Saw this article on Yahoo News! today - a main headline. It cites a new Government Accountability Report on factory farming out today, and begins...

"Factory farms can produce more raw waste than large U.S. cities, threatening not only water quality but air quality as well. Both the number of factory farms and animals fed in confined feeding lots has more than tripled in 20 years, and yet the Environmental Protection Agency is trying to roll back already weak pollution regulations."

CLICK HERE to read more.